Four Months and Eight Days
by NicolettexMarie
Summary: A series of one-shots about Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene and Denzel. Mostly from Cloud's PoV, some from Tifa's. Moving on has been easier than expected... but will Cloud EVER catch a break? Ch. 7 tiny bit lemony! Please review! Didn't know kids' ages, guessed
1. Need a Day Off

**A/N**: I simply CANNOT get away from Cloud/Tifa stories! Argh! But I love them. :) Anyway, this follows the same sort of line as the others I've written, but obviously, they are all very different versions of how Cloud and Tifa get together. This story does have more than one chapter, and it's not ALL about them; it includes some family stuff, too. The chapters can stand alone as one-shots, and they're quite short, but I don't know how many there'll yet be. Anyway, please enjoy, and please review! Constructive criticism is ALWAYS appreciated. Thanks again!

Ch. 1 --- Need a Day Off

All I remembered later that night was seeing the faces of the afflicted children, enraptured and delighted as they were one by one cured of the disease we'd all thought would wipe out the world. The visions of those children stayed with me even in sleep, which, for once, was not encumbered by the horror of Sephiroth's eyes or the tragedy of seeing Aerith die, again and again. I could barely believe that I was the one standing in the sea of young ones, laughing and playing in the wonderful, curing water. It seemed I was the hero again... and yet, a part of me still didn't want to be.

Hero... what a loaded word. All of my heroes, every one of them, had been killed or twisted. I'd seen them all die trying or die at my hand. I didn't want that title. I didn't need it, or the pressure and expectations that came with it.

Well... all of my heroes, save one. Tifa had never... _never_... given up on me. It still made me cringe to think of her angry, desperate words when I had gone to look for the orphans. _"Look at you; you think you've got it _so_ damn hard!"_ she'd cried. I knew I'd hurt her, by shutting her out, refusing help... refusing company. But I also knew she'd always forgive me. Part of me rejoiced in that forgiveness, because Tifa was pretty much all I had... but another part of me knew I didn't deserve it. She'd forgiven me one too many times, told me that it was okay that I pushed her away. But now... now that the world would be different... now that I knew I wasn't alone... we could start over. It was a hope. Small, at best, but a hope that I hadn't had some days, hours ago. She was a hero to me in all the ways that mattered... my childhood friend... my confidante... and one of the only people I could even contemplate letting in. Sure, we didn't have a lot to say to each other... but maybe that was because we could speak without words.

So I slept, peacefully, and I woke the next morning to Marlene, staring me down from the edge of my bed. She laughed gleefully when I woke, and, slightly confused, I reached out to her, wondering what she was doing in my room. I didn't expect her to jump in my arms and give me a bear hug, and I grunted when her bony little knee caught my – empty, I realized – stomach, but I could feel a smile force its way out of me when she did. I patted her on the back a little, slightly uncomfortable with the physical contact, as always... and lifted my eyes to the doorway, where I heard a floorboard creak. Denzel froze as my gaze met his, and for an awkward moment, I didn't know what to say or do, but I beckoned him toward me and Marlene, her arms still wrapped around my neck. He gave a smile and jumped on the bed too, hugging what little of me he could reach around Marlene. I guess it was gratefulness at his cure... or maybe they had just missed their own personal hero.

"'Morning, Cloud!" Marlene squeaked in my ear, and Denzel only nodded his agreement at the sentiment, which made my small smile grow a little. Like me – didn't say much, that one. Finally, when Marlene and Denzel let go of me, I replied.

"Hey there," I said, still a little unsure if I was deserving of all of the attention. "Where's - ?" I started to ask, but a quiet little giggle in the doorway again directed my gaze toward it.

Tifa was standing there, a hand over her mouth, and she was definitely trying not to laugh at the scene. Me, clad in the black leather I'd collapsed on the bed in the night before, with an arm wrapped awkwardly around the two pajama-wearing, bleary-eyed children. I'm sure it looked pretty damn funny, all things considered. For a moment, neither of us said anything, and to my horror, I almost blushed from embarrassment, but luckily, she spoke before I had the chance. "A client called, Cloud... some delivery of antiques to-"

I raised a hand (with difficulty) and stopped her. "No, thanks," I rumbled, my smile fading only a little, but it was still there. "I think I need a day off."

Tifa smiled at that, and she beckoned Marlene and Denzel off of me, saying something about breakfast. I wasn't really listening... actually, I was too caught up in her eyes to pay attention to much else. Something about them... something made my stomach clench. But, then again... it could have only been because I was hungry. I rolled off of my comfortable bed and followed the three of them downstairs, intent on getting breakfast myself.


	2. Watching

**A/N**: Very fast updates, I know! But I already had the first four chapters written. I forgot the disclaimer last time, too: I do not own Final Fantasy or any related themes/characters/etc., though I deeply wish I owned hot and sexy Cloud. :D Lol. Please read and review!

Ch. 2 --- Watching

Days later, I couldn't remember ever feeling so... light. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted by the grace of Aerith's parting, forgiving smile in her church... and suddenly, things were clearer to me than they had ever been before. I didn't have to do anything alone... and I didn't have to blame myself for things over which I had no control. I learned that it was okay to need people... that it was okay to love... and most importantly of all, I learned it just by watching Tifa.

She had a routine, see. Every morning, she'd wake up the kids, make breakfast, clean, and then, when it came time, she'd do the menial tasks in preparation for the opening of the bar. Washing every dish, cleaning every counter, checking every stock of liquor with careful precision. I watched her a lot, watched her go about her daily schedule, watched her care for the kids like they were her own, and watched her do things for me without even realizing it. Little things, like send a smile my way more than once, or brush my arm in concern when I seemed far away. It was astounding how graceful and beautiful Tifa began to appear to me, how wonderfully deep were her eyes and how adorable the habit of pushing her long dark hair behind her ears was. I watched how she'd wrinkle her brow in frustration at an annoying spot on a glass, watched the way she always checked on the children at least twice after they'd gone to bed at night. I knew that, like me, she hadn't quite gotten over the fear of awful things happening yet, hadn't quite let go of the need to make certain that everything was really and truly all right. I still worried about them, and sometimes, myself. But together, we could get through it, which, I think, was the message she was trying to send with her eyes all that time. It was a comforting thought.

Even little things Marlene and Denzel did without realizing it began to awaken more of my former self. Marlene would hug me at the most random times... and though I wouldn't always know quite what to do or say, and though sometimes, it made me uncomfortable to let even a small girl that close to me, it was nice. Denzel tended to keep his distance, but never hesitated to smile at me or tell me about the latest thing he and Marlene had done under the nose of Tifa. To be quite honest, they were practically begging for attention from their hero, a title that maybe I didn't want, but held to them anyway, and I was more than willing to give it. I think I was trying to make up for lost time, trying to win Tifa's true forgiveness by showing her that I could open up again, even if only to children. I tried with her, as well, but something held me back.

Maybe it was the frantic look she would give me whenever I had disappeared from the room for only a moment and then re-entered, a look that said to me that she was terrified of me leaving them again. I vowed to myself that I wouldn't, but I couldn't seem to find the right words to say it aloud. Maybe the way she sometimes looked sad, melancholy even, when she looked at me, stopped me from trying to get closer. I knew what the look was for; she was under the impression that I loved Aerith and was still having hard time. And I supposed, to be fair, that I hadn't really done anything to rebuke the theory that I loved her. Hell, we had all loved her, but everyone seemed to think that I loved her in a different way – and I hadn't. Even if I had loved her, the memory was... no longer haunting me. I viewed Aerith and Zack differently now, not as ghosts of the past or illusions of the mind, but simply as memories, happy ones, and ones that served to remind me just what I and the world had lost... and what we still had. I didn't know for the life of me how to explain this to Tifa. I knew that if I tried, she would understand... but I didn't have the courage to try, honestly. It was strange, that a man who had saved the world twice and stood up to evil itself was afraid of opening himself further to his best friend... but it was true.

As I promised Tifa without words, I made less deliveries. They weren't as important now, somehow; it wasn't as necessary to use them to distance myself from others. I _wanted_ to be at home, as I came to think of it, and if they wanted me there, then it was good enough for me.


	3. Moments of Love

**A/N**: Third chapter, yay! Lol. Please read, review, enjoy!

Ch. 3 --- Moments of Love

It's funny, the things you realize when you're close to someone. Like, how I became all too aware of those moments when Tifa would brush my arm or hand in an effort to get my attention – which, then, was undivided. I became aware of the way she spoke to me, in a tone of voice that I had never heard her use with anyone else, somewhere between sweet and soothing, between playful and reserved, as if she was frightened of putting too much pressure on me to reply. I understood that, because I had been silent for... a long time, anyway. I started noticing little things when I would watch her, like the frustratingly amused look she'd give the children when they'd knocked something over or scraped a knee. What I noticed most of all, though, was that as more and more days passed, the look of terror that she gave me every once in a while faded and made its appearance less frequently. I think I was slowly proving to her, just by my presence, that I wasn't going anywhere.

Weeks later, life was, to say the least, comfortable. We didn't hide anything anymore, and there was no need to push Tifa away. I didn't want to think of it in a cheesy, mushy way, but I was truthfully falling in love with all three of them. When I did make a delivery, which didn't happen nearly as frequently as before, I hurried home, missing Tifa and the kids desperately. Of course, the love was split in two very different kinds: fatherly love, and... a love like I hadn't believed before that I could feel, or that could even exist.

I wasn't sure, looking back on it, whether there was an exact moment that signified that I was in love with Tifa or not. She had been my best friend for years... and the only one who never gave up on me or doubted me... and more. It had deepened for me, turning my avoidance of emotion into an open and uninhibited camaraderie with her, turning my admiration of her into adoration, my respect for her into pure, untouchable love. But there were moments when it seemed inescapable, wonderful, and true.

Once, she was telling me something; we were having a (albeit, somewhat one-sided) conversation about something, and I was watching her, barely paying attention to the words. I was absorbed by the way her mouth moved as she retold some story about the children or other, by the way she leaned comfortably against the counter as she spoke to me, and by the tiny way her nose twitched when she laughed. She noticed, and, though not angry, she wanted my attention, so she reached over and grabbed my chin gently, forcing me to look into her eyes. I blinked at her, caught unawares, and she laughed at me. "Cloud, do you have any idea what we're talking about?" she'd laughed at me. I grimaced. Of course I didn't; I'd been watching her too closely, but I couldn't help laughing with her. I had never felt more at ease with someone than then, and it brought into sharp relief all that I had just noticed I felt for her.

There was another time, another moment, perhaps a month or so after the orphans were cured, that I had just walked in the door from a delivery and was momentarily terrified because Tifa was nowhere in sight. The house was quiet, and though my sensitive ears could pick up the pitter-patter of one of the kids' little feet, I didn't see or hear Tifa. Immediately, instinctively, I panicked, racing up the stairs and calling her name, hoping that she was all right. 

I felt the fool when moments later, she came out of the kids' bedroom, giggling and flushed, but unharmed, and said that she'd just been playing with Denzel and Marlene. I sighed, trying to calm my racing heart and feeling the cold panic fade away. Something serious came into her eyes, the eyes I found so beautiful and mysterious, as she said, "Don't worry, Cloud. I'm fine... we're not going anywhere." I think that was when I started to truly believe it, and for the first time in a long – _long_ – time, Tifa hugged me. Again, I felt self-conscious, unsure as to what to do, but when I embraced her in return, I felt more warm and at home than ever before. I got even more warm, particularly around the collar, when Denzel and Marlene came around the corner and giggled at our hug.


	4. Catching a Break

**A/N**: Whew! Last chapter for today; I will try to get the rest of them done soon! Please please please read and review, but most of all, enjoy!

Ch. 4 --- Catching a Break

After a while, my own inactivity began to unnerve and aggravate me: I wanted more with Tifa, and I wanted to show her just how much I cared for her, but it was one of the many things I still didn't know how to go about. I tried numerous things, but they all seemed to go awry or not be poignant enough to give Tifa a clue.

I gave her flowers once, after a longer-than-I-would-have-liked delivery, as an I'm-coming-home gift. She hugged me again, and put them in a vase, but when she said, "You're such a thoughtful friend", the glow sort of dimmed. As I didn't know what to say and didn't want to contradict her, I just nodded and took it as it was.

I helped her in the bar and ottherwise a lot; she seemed to enjoy it when I would take it upon myself to help with dishes or to stay with her for a while when the children went to bed and just talk. Each time, I found myself wanting to tell her just as plain as day that I loved her, but each time, I was speechless with fear. Not something I liked admitting to myself, either, but it had no other justification.

I even resorted to asking the kids for help, and what a mess that was... I asked Denzel what her favorite food was, slightly embarrassed that I didn't myself know, and when he told me, I decided to cook it. Of course, it went downhill from there. When I told Tifa that I wanted to cook the meal that night, she stared at me as if I was insane, first, and then happily agreed. But... I wasn't as adept at cooking as I thought I would be, and, two hours later, I emerged from the kitchen, defeated, covered in flour and oil, something resembling gravy that was _supposed_ to be mashed potatoes all over my clothes, and with chocolate _something_ in my hair. I don't think I'd ever seen Tifa laugh so hard in her life, and I had to admit, it was funny, but my perfect evening had been ruined, and I went to bed feeling like – for lack of a better word – a huge dork.

Okay, so I was _not_ a chef. I could deal with that. But I had to think of some way, some wonderfully amazingly astounding way to tell Tifa how I felt, or I thought I might explode. Problem was, I was all out of ideas, and I knew I had to turn to someone else for help. That was where Yuffie came in... another mistake.

"Buy her something pretty!" Yuffie had said, too excited by my own news to tell me what. So I thought about it, and after I had duly threatened Yuffie with her life and was certain that she wouldn't be spilling the beans, I looked for something that I thought she would like. I considered everything, from handmade snow globes to crystal vases, from glass figurines to interesting paintings, but nothing really jumped out at me. Finally, I just decided on a single blown-glass flower that could set on a shelf and look pretty. I took it to her in the box the store had put it in, and admittedly, it had been a good idea: she teared up when she saw what it was and she smiled beautifully. Carefully setting it aside on the counter, she threw her arms around me, and for one, incredible moment, I thought that maybe it would be right this time, that maybe she'd gotten the hint. 

However, it was at that moment that Marlene and Denzel decided to come rushing and tumbling down the stairs, calling my name and happy to see me. "Ooh, what's this?" Marlene had cried, picking up the glass flower. And, before even a small word of protest could be uttered from me, even before Tifa could remove her arms from my neck and turn around, Marlene had promptly tripped over Denzel, taking both him and the fragile flower with her onto the floor. It shattered into a million pieces, and she said, quite cutely, "Oops." I groaned and put my head in my hands as Teef began to clean it up, apologizing to me over and over. She promised that she would repay me, that it had been a 'sweet gift', but I was only concerned with the lost opportunity. It seemed like I was _never_ going to catch a break!


	5. Beautiful Disaster of a Hero

**A/N**: Fifth chapter, yay! From Tifa's PoV this time, as the next one will be. Please read and review! Enjoy!

Ch. 5 --- Beautiful Disaster of a Hero

I think I knew all along what he was trying to do. That he was trying to prove to me that all of those unspoken promises were valid, that he really wasn't alone and that he wasn't going anywhere. I worried, for the longest time... and I think, so did he. But the truth of the matter was, after a month and a half of him being here, with us, it started to sink in that this is where he wanted to be. I rejoiced in that. 

I think I also knew that there was more between us than a friendship, that there was something deeper than a camaraderie. There were times I would actually catch him watching me, and there were times that when I did, I saw a look in his eyes that made me feel like the only woman on the planet. I couldn't ever convince myself completely that it was true; I guess I figured that the looks were a figment of my imagination, that they really meant nothing. But deep down, I didn't want to believe that, and there was hope.

Of course, him being so good to Marlene and Denzel was what stole my heart first. I hadn't seen him open up to anyone in so long that to see the kids growing on him and making him smile, another rarity, was like gold – precious, valuable, beautiful. He would smile fondly at them whenever they would run down the stairs to greet him; he would hug them back (albeit awkwardly) when they randomly threw their little arms around him; he would occasionally bring them a treat whenever he returned from a delivery... which didn't happen very often anymore. He would have made an amazing father, maybe a little unsure at first, maybe a little scared, but good nonetheless. I think that Denzel and Marlene thought of him that way, as a father (in Marlene's case, a second father), just without the title.

I began to feel comfortable with Cloud in a way that I hadn't been able to in a long time. He did make me happy, make me feel secure, and as he turned more and more into the boy I knew all those years ago, the friendship came back. Although, it has to be said, that after the first time he gifted me with a smile, an open, brilliant smile like I hadn't seen him wear in years, I fell – hard.

I'd always known I had feelings for Cloud. Why would it hurt me so much that he was still blaming himself for Aerith and still torn over her memory if I didn't? But as that slowly faded away... as the blame fell away and the memories became not tortured, but happy, ones... the feelings I had became stronger. It wasn't as if I was dying without him, wasn't a tragic, unrequited, undying love... it just _was_. I couldn't help it. Sometimes, I would laugh at myself, for loving him, in all his black-leather wearing, golden-spiked, to-die-for-blue-eyed glory. It seemed odd to me, that I should love Cloud, this childhood friend, this savior of the planet, this beautiful disaster of a hero... but I did.

And then the question came, not whether or not to tell him, but _how_ to tell him. I knew I had to, because I knew if I didn't, things would never change between us to anything deeper than friendship... and whatever gods that were up there _had_ to know I wanted them to change! I considered just coming out and saying it... but that didn't seem likely, or romantic. It didn't help that I was (and still am) a chicken at heart when it comes to romantic entanglements. I considered several indirect ways of telling him, too... like 'accidentally' letting it slip to Yuffie, who I knew could keep _nothing_ quiet, or telling the children to 'give him a hint'. But none of the ideas I came up with seemed likely.

I swear, I almost died when he started doing things for me and bringing me things. They were little things, like flowers (which wilted), a 'thank you' card (which I had no idea what it was for), and giving me that blown-glass flower (which Marlene accidentally smashed). I think that was part of how I knew there were feelings there on his part, too... but goodness, he didn't know how to show it! I remembered with a hearty laugh his attempt at dinner, and how he had ended up a mess himself and a mess in the kitchen (which I had to clean up, though I couldn't say I minded). I guessed it was up to me. _Great_. 


	6. Four Months and Eight Days

**A/N**: Finally, the title makes sense! Lol. This chapter has a cliffhanger, you are warned! I think it's good, though.Please read, review, enjoy, as always!

Ch. 6 --- Four Months and Eight Days

It had been four months and eight days since the children were cured. We had fallen into a completely comfortable, carefree routine; he was my best friend again, someone I could depend on, the children's hero, and above all, part of our little family-like household. He wanted to be with us, and whether it meant something different in my case or not, I still didn't know, but it was good enough. I wouldn't say that I'd given up hope for something more, I just don't know whether I was prepared at the time to risk my whole heart on it... which Cloud unknowingly held in his hand.

Anyway, on that day, four months and eight days since the man I loved had saved the planet (again), I was calmly doing the dishes late afternoon, listening carefully to the children, who were upstairs playing, and enjoying the calming sounds of the rainstorm outside. Cloud was on a delivery for a friend; I didn't expect him back until later, and a sort of melancholy had stolen over me at this. So I continued the menial task of washing glasses for the opening of the bar later, so repetitive and simple that it allowed me to lose myself in thought... thought of Cloud, of me, of the odd little life we'd built together and the fact that we weren't really together.

The clock was nearing five, and I finished the washing, instead intent on starting dinner. The kids would be hungry soon. Sure enough, just as I pulled the last pan off of the stove an hour later, Denzel and Marlene tumbled down the stairs, eager to eat. I sighed and shook my head as I watched them, not hungry myself. Just another mess to clean up... but as I watched Denzel spill gravy on himself, I couldn't help a giggle. A cute mess, that was. 

After dinner, I let the kids play for a while, and then told them around eight that it was time for bed. They agreed with a yawn, already halfway up the stairs again. 

"Why isn't Cloud here to say goodnight?" Marlene asked me in a pathetic little voice as I tucked her into bed. I frowned. She, even through her childlike faith and idolatry of Cloud, had not forgotten the times when Cloud had not been there for us, in mind or body. 

"He'll be home later, Marlene," I told her, confident. "It's just a delivery, and he doesn't have so many anymore." She smiled happily at that, and by the time I had kissed her and Denzel on the head, they were both sound asleep. 

Back downstairs, I began to ready the bar, doing the usual things and still listening to the rumbling thunder and rain outside happily. I might have even been humming to myself. I really was content with life, even though I loved Cloud so and he was... well, a little clueless. Things could always – _always_ – have been worse.

So, I was turning on the faucet again, preparing to wash my hands, when I heard the front door open. I cast a look at the clock – only 8:30? It seemed quite early for Cloud to be home, but when I heard his heavy boots on the hardwood, I smiled. It was Cloud... and somehow, the fact that he was home earlier than I'd have expected did not alarm me.

"Hello, Cloud," I said as I heard him enter the kitchen behind me. I turned off the water when I was through, turning to him with a smile, drying my hands on a towel... and was unprepared for what I saw there. There was Cloud, of course, in all his tall, lean, handsome glory... and he was dripping wet, from the rain, which made me giggle a little. But this was all normal. What I didn't expect was the look in his eyes – so serious.

And the _last_ thing I expected was the kiss.


	7. Speaking Without Words

**A/N**: Agh, I just couldn't resist making this chapter a little cheesy and adding a dash of lemon... Not graphic in any way, just there. :D Hope you like! Please review!

Ch. 7 --- Speaking Without Words

It was a hell of a kiss. It blindsided me, shocked me, left me trembling, breathless, eyes wide and heart thumping irregularly before I began to respond and kiss him back. It was as if someone had taken a fire to my insides; I melted against Cloud's chest, kissing him back with all of the fervor I had so desperately wanted to for so long. 

I was deeply enjoying myself, but soon, he let me go, stumbling backward himself – creating space. I knew that whatever had just happened, we either had to talk about it, or he would turn tail and run. I was waiting for the latter, still out of breath, and was stunned again when he spoke, also gasping for much-needed air.

"Tifa... I, uh... that was... just for... being there, for me, you know..." He kept his gorgeous Mako blue eyes on me, but I could tell he was embarrassed from the slight blush creeping into his face. I almost giggled at his hasty, uncomfortable words and obvious discomfort explaining to me whatever had just taken place.

Finally, he was mumbling incoherently, and I only caught words: "think that", "happiness", "without you", "dead"... "love". I wasn't sure what he was saying, but that was enough for me. I teared up instantly.

"Oh, Cloud," I sighed, giving a smile, which he returned, his momentary mumbling ceased. "You big dummy, come here." 

And he did, his smile and his eyes saying more than words ever could, for him. He wasn't all that great at speaking; we both knew that, and were used to it... but maybe that was 'cause we could speak without words.

We kissed again, and again, over and over, until the heat within us both threatened to kill us if we didn't do something about it. The bar, which would have usually and should have been open by now, had been forgotten, and I hastily made my decision as Cloud's kiss grew more passionate. The bar could wait another night.

I didn't know exactly why, and still don't, but I think that maybe Cloud and I needed to make sure that it was real, that what we were feeling was valid, that the truth really _was_ that neither of us was going anywhere and we would always have each other. We didn't stop to think about what it meant for us or for the children, because we both knew that it could only be good. We didn't hesitate, and there were no whispered promises or declarations of love, because that wasn't what we needed. We needed each other, we needed to feel it, be shown it, believe it, but words weren't necessary. So we delighted in the simplicity of what we had: each other's flesh, scorching and slick; limbs tangled, strong arms above me and heat enveloping me; a union that stole our breath and sent us soaring, the raw, pure pleasure of having the other... so close... and that was enough for us.

Lying together in the silvery light of the moon, making us appear as if we were wrought of silver, not flesh, I half-expected him to bail, to fear what he'd done and leave me cold and alone in my own bed... but he didn't. And I couldn't remember a time in my life I had ever loved someone so much. I wanted to say it, because even if that was what scared him, the words, there was no going back now. Silly thing is, he beat me to it.

"You have no idea how much I love you," he told me simply, his hand stroking my hair back from my forehead, his eyes never leaving mine.

I swallowed the furious lump that rose to my throat, refusing to cry, even if they were tears of joy. "I love you, Cloud," I managed to choke out, flashing him a brilliant smile. It was odd to think that this, sex, had brought about the words, but I knew it was the truth, because Cloud had stopped lying to me long ago.

"I think I always knew that," he said quietly, his voice a mere rumble in the silence of the house. "I just needed to figure out why; that's why I was gone so much... and now, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" I asked, worried for one instant that he was going to tell me he was leaving, fearing for a moment that he was going to tell me that this was it, and it was done, that this had meant nothing. But he had told me he loved me... and the instant passed, and I knew it was as irrational a fear as I had ever had about anything. He wasn't going anywhere.

"No," he agreed. "Because I'm not leaving anymore. Not ever."

I didn't mean to, but I cried those happy tears anyway. That meant more to me, coming from Cloud, than anything ever had. For the first time, I didn't fear him leaving, in body or mind, even for a second, because I truly believed he wasn't. Whatever came next for us, I knew that it could only be wonderful.

He may have been a big dummy, but he was _my_ big dummy... and most importantly, he was going to be there.


	8. Happy Tears and Eleven Years

**A/N**: Well, this is the last chapter, finally! I wanted to make it longer, actually, but found that I was, ultimately, running out of things to say. It has a happy ending, at least! :D So, please read, review, and enjoy!

Ch. 8 --- Happy Tears and Eleven Years

The happy tears didn't go away, either. They were there the next morning, when I woke to find Cloud still next to me. They were there later that day, when I saw Cloud not only hug the children – but _initiate_ the hug. They were there a week later, when things were still wonderful and the children were cluing in, and they were there a month later, when Cloud dropped to one knee.

I remembered later how my heart had pounded, how my palms had sweat and my knees trembled, but most of all, what I remembered was the children's happy squeals when they saw us kiss and the simply beautiful ring on my finger.

The wedding was a blur. A small, quiet, sweet blur, but a blur nonetheless. I remembered Yuffie, giggling mercilessly, remembered Barret, threatening Cloud with his life if he ever broke my heart, remembered Cid, making crude jokes about the wedding night, and I remembered the church – Aerith's church. No other place could have been more perfect, and I could have sworn that I heard her in my head as I walked toward Cloud, saying 'I told you so' or 'good luck' or something like that. I remembered the softly-spoken, mechanical vows, but the words didn't mean so much, really – it was what I saw in Cloud's eyes when he spoke them that mattered. Promise, hope, love like I hadn't ever seen before. It was enough to make me cry those damned happy tears again.

While the wedding may have been a blur, the wedding night wasn't. I remembered every detail, vividly, even two, three, five years later. Cloud had been perfect, and our life together, just beginning, seemed as if it were the lives of some other people, people we didn't know. It was too perfect to be ours... but then again, it was, and there were more tears involved.

Looking back on it a year later, thinking over an entire year of wedded bliss to the man I had always loved, my best friend, my confidante, my big dummy, my beautiful disaster of a hero, I wasn't sure if I had expected it or not. Had I ever expected to be so happy? No. Happiness, two years ago, before Cloud had saved the planet (again), had seemed so unlikely, so far out of reach. Had I expected a life, a good one, with Cloud? Somehow, I think I always had expected it, always hoped for it and almost saw it coming. I don't know how, but now that I had it, it didn't matter. What mattered was that we had each other, and Denzel and Marlene, and that was enough.

**Ten Years**

"Mom? Mom. Mom! _MOTHER_!"

I jumped and turned to a very impatient Marlene, fourteen and more beautiful than ever. "Yes?" I'd been blanking out again, just thinking over the years past with a happy smile on my face.

"So, there's this – boy..." she began nervously.

I nodded absently. "And?"

"Well... he... kind of... wants me to... go out. I mean, you know, with him. Like a... date?" Marlene squinted her eyes and leaned away from me, visibly preparing for the 'no'.

I couldn't disappoint her. "Sorry, Marlene. No boys." I smiled at her; we'd had this talk before, and she couldn't really get too angry with me – she'd known it was coming.

She sighed, but gave a defeated smile. "Eh, I had to try," she said, then exited the room, still bouncy and bright despite the rejection.

My brow furrowed as I watched her exit, with not any less of the childish enthusiasm she'd had all those years ago. It made me think of Denzel and I wondered where he was, listening with expert ears for any sound of him. He, at a tall, handsome seventeen years of age, was usually out, either learning the trade with his father – I smiled – or stealing all the girls' hearts without even realizing it – like his father.

Suddenly, I heard Fenrir, and Cloud's unmistakable laugh. Then – ah, yes – Denzel's voice, much lower than it had been all those years ago. "That was awesome," he was saying, though I couldn't know what they were talking about.

They came in one after the other, and I smiled at both. Cloud had changed only a little in the eleven years we'd been married. His spiky hair was still spiky, cornflower-colored and soft as ever. Those blue eyes, the exact same breathtaking color; his physique, still hard, lean; his dazzling smile still the same, and not nearly as rare. Denzel still surprised me, with how much he had changed: no longer was he small of stature, but lean, like his father; no longer were his brown eyes innocent and childlike, but velvety and deep; no longer were his features rounded and adorable but angular and handsome. Sometimes I imagined that he had, in all of the time he had spent with Cloud (his father in all of the ways that counted), begun to look like him as well: some of Cloud's undying intensity hinted in his eyes, some of Cloud's true, albeit hidden, compassion, present in his smile, even some of Cloud's heroism and nobility evident in the way he held himself. Cloud and I... we were very proud of Denzel, and Marlene, who was beautiful in her own wraith-like, still-innocent way. And, still young ourselves in comparison to some parents, we were, for the most part, happy and carefree.

Not much else had changed in the eleven years of our marriage. Yuffie had grown up (a fact that was hard to believe even now), but still retained her youthful cheeriness and spirit. Reno had married and was expecting a baby, and even Vincent seemed happy, compared to years past. (Of course, that could have been Yuffie's doing... but I wasn't supposed to know.)

"Hey, Teef," Cloud kissed my cheek and gifted me with one of his beautiful smiles.

"Mom," Denzel said, hugging me. He may have been nearly a grown man, but he hadn't ever lost sight of all we had done for him. Family was number one to all of us... and it was going to stay that way.

My best friend, my confidante, my husband, beautiful not-a-disaster-anymore of a hero, my handsome grown-up son, and my beautiful teenage daughter meant everything to me. I'd never expected to have such an amazing life... but I did, and I was going to keep it.


End file.
